Today was Honor’s first day at the beach–ever as best I can tell. She and I ran across the sands down toward the water and Honor put on the brakes at the first breaker. While she was willing to wander a few steps into the surf, she had no interest in bounding into the waves like her “cousin” Blue who dove into the ocean with great relish. The people at the rescue shelter from which got Honor six years ago had speculated that she is part labrador retriever. I have long had my doubts about this, and her aversion to water in general and her reaction to the ocean today seems to support my theory that she is in fact not related to a labrador or any other pooch who likes being in water. Nevertheless I was excited to introduce her to the ocean. I found myself as excited as I used to be when I would take my children someplace new or share with them some new experience. Now that my children are semi-grown and living on their own, Honor is now my sidekick and I take her with me whenever and wherever I can.
I am grateful to my sister and her husband for inviting us to spend some time down by the ocean. I hadn’t realized the extent to which I’d been holding my breath over the past several weeks and have been glad to be able to exhale. Today as I walked over a slight rise and got my first glimpse of the ocean, I released a long, happy, contented sigh. I hadn’t even known what I needed until I topped that rise and saw the water. I became aware of how much I’ve missed “big water” since I left the San Francisco Bay area of California nearly a year ago. I don’t know how long we hung out at the beach, but I know it was just what I needed. The weather was perfect, the water was warm, and the air smelled wonderful. When we returned from the beach and had cleaned off, I sat outside on one of the decks, dozing and letting the warm sun dry me. It was a wonderful, lazy day.
I have no idea what we’re doing tomorrow. I for one am interested in taking a walk in the morning before it gets really busy with people walking and biking on the road. Perhaps Honor and I will walk to the other side of the narrow strip of land we’re on between the Atlantic Ocean and the Currituck Sound. No matter what we end up doing, the weather promises to be fabulous and I can’t think of a better way to spend another day of relaxation and fun. Yes, this is exactly what I needed and I am grateful.
"Please don't put me down," Honor to my niece Karlyn.
